Wow! And I thought the granite vs solid surface discussions on the Kitchen Forum were lively...I think this discussion is at least as lively!! I just spent probably an hour or so reading every post...one thing I noticed is that no one mentions that many of the TL machines have temperature controlled water fill...mine has a "warm" and "cold" that mixes hot & cold water to meet what's considered "optimal" for cleaning purposes. The amount of each temp water used varies depending on the temp of the water coming in. My manual even states that detergents do not dissolve very well in cold water and that clothes do not wash as well either. What does work better in true cold water is rinse...items rinse more thoroughly in cold water than hot or warm. My washer does have the traditional "hot" and "cold" settings, but I never use "cold" and I only use "hot" for certain linens...I stick to the controlled warm & cold for the vast majority of my laundry. My experience w/washing in hot water is that colors fade quickly--especially darks (navy, black, etc.) so I don't like using hot water. BTW...those of us on a well worry more about water usage b/c we do not want our wells going dry! Which, right now in this moderate-to-severe drought is a very real concern (mid-Atlantic states). My concern, however, is FL options....do I have options for longer/shorter wash cycles, "type" of clothing cycles, "agitation" speed, rinse speed, additional rinse cycles, soak, and, very importantly, can I wash a KS comforter in it? I cannot do so in any (residential) TLer I've owned or seen to-date. For me, it looks like a FL is my primary option. Both my DS and I have allergies and I need to be able to wash our linens in HOT water (to kill dust mites)--that includes towels, sheets, blankets, comforters, curtains, rugs, etc. [My DS is very allergic to dust (i.e., dust mites)] I've been hearing that many of the European makers (Miele, for example) are stripping down their functionality for the US market--not an advantage in my case! I'm currently researching to find out which FL that is sold in the US is best--so if you live outside the US your washers probably don't compare to US washers...sorry, but your experiences w/specific manufacturers/machines, while interesting, may not be relevant to those of us in the US. Any thoughts or comments?

I definitely can relate. You are probably saving major dollars not having a kitchen designer, and you are getting exactly what you want. It's so stressful. Someone posted on here that she kept repeating to herself "it's only a kitchen...it's only a kitchen..." It's worth the pain and the time you are putting in to it. After you've been in the new kitchen a short time you will definitely forget this pain and suffering. I suggest get the granite and backsplash picked out, printing out pix from the Finished Kitchens Blog (google it) Finished Backsplash Slideshow with you when you go shopping. Try to stick to one or two inspiration photos. That helped me so much to show stores what I was looking for, and I was less distracted by other stuff once I had my inspiration photos with me. Try Google Images searching for key words like bronze sink granite & you'll get a couple pix of kitchens with that combo to see which granites & hardware look good. You could carve up your 3 biggest questions and make each separate discussion question topic here....like "Any granite ideas for bronze sink?" & someone might give you a great suggestion. Good luck. We are rooting for you. Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Backsplashes Slideshow in FKB

Beautiful home! Here's the straight poop on mini-splits and contracting air conditioning in general. Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, LG, Sanyo, Toshiba, and most other brands are all pretty much alike, technology wise. I have installed a lot of Fujitsu and have friends that have installed other brands. When we compare notes, they all seem pretty much the same. They are most all Japanese and use the same technology. By the way, ductless split systems are the absolute best option in my opinion. They offer reliability, extreme energy efficiency, and flexibility. All contractors are NOT created equal. Here's where the big difference comes in. Most homeowners, when deciding on a new system get three "bids". Getting different options is a great idea. Getting three "prices" is almost always a bad idea. When you shop based on price (not that you are), contractors know this and will adjust their pricing accordingly. IF the scope of work and the quality stayed at a high level this would be great. The fact is that if a contractor knows he is competing based on the cost of the job, he will cut his cost in order to compete. This almost always means cutting quality and things that contribute to the reliability and energy efficiency of the system. A good strategy is to get three contractors to give you their recommendations based on what you would like to accomplish. Ask for a list of past customers you can call as references. A good contractor will be anxious for you to talk to his past customers. A poor one, not so much. Make your final decision based on all the factors you have, but give extra weight to how you feel about the quality of the contractor you are considering. You will have to live with this decision for a long time. Make it a good one. Ductless split systems are, in my opinion, the future of HVAC in this country and are already more common than conventional systems in other countries. SEER ratings are based on average heavy loads. Since your heating and air conditioning system rarely operates at these kinds of loads, the SEER isn't a good reflection of what you can expect with ductless split systems. These systems have much better control than conventional systems and are able to increase or decrease the capacity of the system based on the load on the system. I have written several articles on the ductless systems and current debates. Please feel free to see one of them on my blog, here. Good luck on your new system. I know you will be happy with ductless technology.

We have done this in a previous kitchen. Husband made the custom kitchen cabinets, with a cubby for the fridge. Then bought a bottom freezer single door fridge, took the handles off and attached, from the inside, a custom panel, one on each door. We found some long bronze cabinet pulls that matched our cabinet hardware for the pulls. It was not a totally integrated look because we had to leave about an inch and a half on either side for the door to open. But it was fully recessed in it's cubby. We had extra deep counters and cabinets so fridge section didn't stick out even though it was a 35" inch deep fridge ($800 if I remember). But it helps to have a partner who is a fine woodworker. :)